[moldbreakers]

I like winning. I enjoy success. I like it when the team I root for wins, and I like accomplishing goals that I’ve set. It feels great. I think everyone likes winning.

Have you ever experienced a feeling of victory in an area of your life? It feels great, doesn’t it?

But right after we win is the time where it’s easiest to lose.

Coming off my trip to the Dominican a few weeks ago, I was feeling really good. The Lord really revealed himself to me, and I felt like I gained some insight into areas where God wants me to grow. My quiet time was bearing fruit. Green lights, everywhere.

Winning.

And then I got comfortable in the victory.

Ever see a basketball team up by 20 points in the second half, but then they think they’ve won the game and start coasting? Yeah. MISTAKE.

Coasting is always a mistake because the enemy doesn’t take a moment off. I see it a lot in my life in the form of temptation and distractions. When I got back in my regular routine, those things hit me hard. Temptation: everywhere. Distractions? Every second. Frustration seemed to be the only thing I could feel or see.

This makes me think of Peter (of course, I love Peter) in Matthew 14. Jesus had just fed the 5000 men – not including uncounted more women and children – with 5 loaves and 2 fish. It was a miracle! I’m sure everyone was hype, especially the disciples. It was a victory in Jesus’s ministry. Many had been healed and ministered to by Jesus. In the next account, the disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a windstorm arises. Looking out into the storm, the disciples see a figure walking on water towards them. They go from scared to downright terrified, but then Jesus calls out to them. Peter (brazen, as he always is) tests Jesus’s identity by asking Jesus to call him out onto the water, if indeed it is their master. Jesus says come, and Peter does so. All goes well until Peter realizes he is WALKING ON WATER, and then he begins to sink, but Jesus saves him. As they enter the boat, the storm subsides.

This story is so encouraging to me because it’s so similar to my life on a day-to-day basis. A few things particularly have encouraged me, and I hope they will do the same for you.

1. There will always be a storm. The good news is – Jesus is
   already in the storm, and he has power over it.
2. What Jesus calls us to do will probably be scary. The temptation will always be to look at our surroundings, but someone more powerful is always the better option.
3. Distractions are a daily occurrence. As long as we keep our eyes on him and believe, we will be fine – in fact, we will be safe.

Two things have challenged me from this story. Notice how Peter waits for the Lord to give him clearance before he walks out on the water. Sometimes I’m so eager to prove myself before God that I want to act before He tells me it’s okay. I’m working on having patience in my life to where I confidently wait for God to tell me to move before I act, even with the situation seems right. I’m stubborn and usually have to learn things the hard way, but God is challenging me with that one.

The second is the disciples’ response to Jesus’s calming of the storm.They praise God for what He’s done. They worship! I usually forget that part – but it’s important that I do not. No matter how Jesus quells the storms in our lives (even when the method is unconventional or not to your liking), we have to praise Him. The disciples’ faith grew as they saw Jesus come through for them, and praise was the natural reaction. Praise and growth in faith go hand-in-hand. Test Jesus in that the more you praise and call on his name, the more he will show up and grow faith in you, too.

Don’t get comfortable in the victories of life because a storm is always around the corner. It’s okay – it may be that a test is in the storm for you. Jesus is with you and he will not abandon you. Focus on him and rest in his victory so by trusting in him, you can overcome the temptation and distractions this world offers.